


Sunshine

by SkyDancerr



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute, and everyone knows it, and hopper can see that, el can't get over her freckled neighbor, i hope no one has done this, mike is smitten with his neighbor, mileven is cute in every universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-01-06 18:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyDancerr/pseuds/SkyDancerr
Summary: Summer is coming to an end, and Mike Wheeler is dreading the moment he's awoken by his alarm and has to start yet another school year and complete the same boring routine every day. But Mike's days take a different turn when pretty and sweet El Hopper moves into the empty house next door.After El Hopper's mother Terry kicked her father out of the house after 20 years of marriage, El refuses to stay with her mom and hops in the car with Jim, and the two head to his old town of Hawkins. Little does El know, she'll move into the house next door to the cutest, dorkiest boy she's ever met in her life.While falling in love, the two new neighbors have to learn how to balance affection, school, and Mike's group of friends getting used to a new addition to their Party. Should be easy, right?





	1. New Neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, I have my other AU in the works, but this idea came to mind I thought it was so cute, so I want to try playing with it and see how it goes! I actually don't have a whole plan for this story, but I have a gist of how I want it to go, so we'll see haha. Enjoy the first chapter!

"Holy shit, it's so fucking hot," Dustin Henderson complained, wiping an arm across his forehead dramatically as him and The Party exited the cold interior of Benny's and enter Heat Hell. Mike Wheeler tried not to laugh at Dustin's dramatic comment.

Max Mayfield rolled her eyes at Dustin, letting go of Lucas Sinclair's hand so she could pick up her skateboard. "It's not that hot, idiot," she quipped at Dustin, but Mike saw her wipe a bead of sweat that has already formed off her forehead.

Lucas yanked his bike out of the bike rack. "If you were a real man, you wouldn't complain about the heat," he said to Dustin.

"I don't know, it's pretty hot out," the soft voice of Will Byers spoke for the first time since they exited the diner.

"Yeah, I agree," Mike puffed as he ran a hand through his damp raven hair as the four boys mounted their bikes and Max put her skateboard on the ground. She rolled her eyes and pushed her foot against the ground to whiz out of the parking lot.

"Hey!" the boys exclaimed, rushing to get situated and follow suit.

The five teens flew down the streets of Hawkins, huffing and puffing in the heat. Mike savored the mild wind in his face, his dark hair flying around his head. Even though he was wet with sweat and his legs were sore from pumping, he still felt so happy as he enjoyed the ride back to his house.

He watched as Dustin and Lucas got into a fight about who was more "man" and as Max watched them with a slight smile, which was pretty rare. He looked away when he heard Will say something. "I'm gonna miss this."

Mike sighed. "Yeah, me too. Summer is the best. And I'm not excited to see Troy "The Dick" Harrington again and have to deal with his stupid remarks and nicknames." Mike shakes his head at the thought of their life-long bully Troy.

He saw Will frown out of the corner of his eye. "I know. But we're getting better at ignoring him, right? And besides, next year will be our last year and then we can finally get away from him."

"Yeah." The conversation ended as the boys forgot about school and started talking about what they were going to do the next day, their last day of summer break. The other three party members joined in on the conversation, and the ride back to their houses felt much shorter as they all engaged in easy conversation.

"Bye, dorks!" Mike called as he turned into his driveway, lifting a hand to wave at his friends. He got mixed goodbyes, from the others as he biked up the hot driveway.

Mike shoved his bike into the corner of the garage with a huff, beads of sweat dripping down his temple from the long bike ride home through the blistering heat. Even though Mike and The Party were 16 and had full ability to drive to Benny's, they still all chose to ride their bikes-besides Max, who road her skateboard-everywhere instead. Not the best plan for a summer in Hawkins, though.

As Mike entered his thankfully air conditioned home, he breathed a sigh of relief, savoring the sweet, chilly air as it rushed over his sweaty body. He headed around the corner towards the kitchen, where Karen Wheeler was mixing something in a bowl.

"Hey, Mom," Mike said as he went further into the kitchen. He stifled a laugh as he watched his mom jump at the sound of his voice.

She looked at him with scolding, but smiling eyes, her hand clutching her chest. "Michael! You scared me. I didn't hear you come in." 

Mike opened the freezer and pulled out a blue Freezie. "Sorry, Mom," he replied as he snipped the top off the cold popsicle with a pair of scissors. "Gotta go, mom." He turned around and bounded up the stairs towards his room as he lapped at the sugary ice.

He glared at his backpack that sat on the floor of his room. He'd totally forgotten about the fact that school started in just two days. Summer had been homework-less and full of arcade games and swims at the quarry, all with The Party. He'd even gone to his first party (he hated it). Seeing his backpack on the floor reminds him that summer only has two days left. He finished off his Freezie and chucked the wrapper in the trash with unnecessary force.

Mike flopped back onto his bed with a dramatic sigh, because besides, he was alone and could sigh as dramatically as he wanted to. He flopped an arm over his face with a small groan.

His silent pity party didn't last very long, as the smallest Wheeler sibling bounded into Mike's room and pounced onto Mike's bed, making him bounce and bring his arm away from his face. He knew who it was without looking.

"What do you want, Holly?"

Suddenly there was a plastic Barbie shoved his his face, her outstretched arm almost poking his eye out. "Mikey, I need someone to play dollies with," she replied sweetly, using her younger sister "give-me-what-I-want-cause-I'm-cute" voice. He pushes the doll away, annoyed yet gentle, because he was always gentle with his little sister.

He sat up. "Don't you have any friends you can invite over or something? I'm sure your friends would love to come over and play with dolls with you." Mike wasn't in the mood to dress up dolls and make them talk to each other in fake voices. Definitely not.

Holly scrunched her nose and shrugged her small shoulders. "Not really." Mike tried not to roll his eyes. There was only one option left.

"I'm sorry, Holls, but I'm not really in the mood." He fell back onto his bed with a  _thump_. If only Nancy were there. He could've shoved Holly into her room, instead.

"Fine," Holly sniffed before stomping out of his room. He shook his head.  _When did that girl get so damn sassy?_   Mike shook his head and leaned down to snatch the open comic book off the end of his bed. May as well read his favorite comic book, huh?

He wasn't very far into reading the story when the was a loud beeping coming from outside. Mike dropped his hands, sitting up in his bed. He listened to the beeping, which only lasted a couple more seconds before it stopped.

He dropped his comic book, intrigued, getting off his bed and heading out of his room. The noise was coming from outside Nancy's window, so he pushed the door open farther and headed into the uncharted territory that was Nancy's beloved space.

Mike didn't give a fuck that he wasn't supposed to be in his older sister's room and walked straight towards the window facing the house next door to the Wheeler's on the left. He peeked outside, resting his hand on the window.

He spotted the thing that was making the noise right away and-wait, is that a moving truck?

* * *

 

The screaming was bad this time. El Hopper tried to ignore it as she focused in finishing braiding her shoulder length brown locks. She instead listened to the music playing from her record player in the corner of her room.

El's parents fighting was nothing new for her. She'd come home from school one day 10 years before and had heard the raised voices right as she entered the house. She'd ended up crying for a couple hours that night, but she'd gotten used to it over the years and learned to tune it out.

El, like any other kid, grew up thinking their parents truly loved each other, that they were true soulmates. But at six-years-old, El started to doubt the thought. The fights got progressively worse over the years, and El feared the day their breaking point came.

She didn't think it would be today, though.

Summer was supposed to be a fun time filled with no homework, ice cream, beaches, hanging out with friends, bike rides. El's summer mainly consisted of sitting in her room and doing her hair, painting her nails, and reading magazines. Her two friends had both gone on vacation for the summer, leaving El all alone. And going to the beach was no fun alone, so she stayed home and occupied herself while blocking out her parent's fights.

Focusing on the music wasn't doing much for El, and her ears still tuned into the yelling voices of Terry Ives and Jim Hopper. Their voices progressively got louder, and their words became clearer to El as she listened.

"They're going to fire you soon enough, Jim! You can't keep expecting to make enough money to take care of this family by being a sherif!" Terry yelled.

"Terry, I've been making enough money for years! Can you just get off my back?!"

"No, Jim, I can't! You keep saying you'll get a promotion, but it's been eight fucking years, and I'm starting to think that's not going to happen!"

"Seriously, Terry! I think I'm close now! Chief Foster has been kind lately, so that must mean something! I'm so close to getting that promotion!"

"Jim-"

"And can we talk about the fact that I saw  _some other man_ come out of  _my house_ and get into his fucking expensive car in  _my driveway_?" 

El gasped, letting go over the hair she had grasped in her hand, clasping it over her mouth.

"I can explain-"

"You fucking disgust me, Terry! I've let this go so many times and you still bring filthy men into our house 'for your job'!"

"You can't turn this on me, Jim! You're the one we're talking right now!"

"Oh no, don't do that! I want to talk about you, for once! I'm not always the one with wrong doings!"

"Yes-"

"Terry, can you just shut the fuck up, for once? Goddammit."

"Get out!"

There was a pause. "What?"

"I said, get out!" Terry bellowed. El flinched, eyes filling with tears at the hateful tone in her mother's voice. There was a bang as Jim slammed the master bedroom door downstairs. El sunk into her chair, choking back a sob.

She always hated hearing her parents fight, but this was it. This was the last time. Her parents had reached their breaking point and she knew things would never be the same again. She would no longer have to parents that were together and married.

Her mother had just kicked her father out.

El sat and cried in her desk chair for what felt like hours, before there was another bang, followed by stomping footsteps coming up the stairs, footsteps she knew belonged to her dad. El wiped her tears rapidly as she stood up.

Her door opened slowly, without a warning knock, and her father's saddened face appeared. He looked angry, yeah, but El could also see the sadness and despair in his eyes. El sniffed, watching as Jim walked into her room. She noticed the duffel bag hanging from his hand.

"El, sweetie, I'm guessing you heard." El nodded, tears gathering in her eyes again. "I'm sorry, kid, but I've gotta go. And I can't come back. Your mama won't let me."

El let out a sob this time. She rushed forwards and into her father's loving arms. He wrapped her in a warm, familiar bear hug. She cried into his sherif's uniform, smelling the his smell of cigarettes and donuts. That just made her cry harder.

"I don't want you to leave," she croaked. He squeezed her tighter.

"I know, kid. I know. I'm sorry." El could hear the tears in his own voice. She cried in his arms for a bit longer, before suddenly, she stopped, because an idea came to her.

She pulled away. "Take me with you."

"Kid-"

"Take you with me, dad. I can't stay here with mom. I can't watch her bring other men into the house every month. I can't come downstairs and not hug you and eat breakfast with you. I can't be alone with mom without you. _Please_." She was sobbing again, tears running down her cheeks and her breath short.

Jim looked pained, obviously thinking things over. Taking your kid from her mom wasn't an easy decision to make, he knew that for sure. But seeing his daughter's weeping face in front of him, he knew he had to make a choice.

"Pack your things."

That's how El and Hopper had ended up in the small town of Hawkins, which Hopper had grown up in. It was definitely not the busiest place in the world, or biggest place, but El loved it right away. Sun shining; grass green and luscious; trees full of bright leaves and birds; flowers scattered across the fields. Kids were out plying, girls were walking down the sidewalks with armfuls of shopping bags, and teens were riding on bikes.

The house Hopper had bought came into view as they drove down Maple Street. It was the perfect size; two stories tall. Perfect for the two of them. And it was at the end of a cul-de-sac, in between two alive-looking houses, one of them with a dog sleeping under a tree and the other with a plastic playhouse in the lawn and chalk flowers drawn on the driveway.

El smiled fondly as she got out of their parked car, turning around as she looked around, taking it all in. There was a beeping sound as the moving truck pulled into the driveway, but El tuned it out.

The beeping stopped, and El stopped turning. She paused, looking up at the house next door, the one with the decorated driveway. She tilted her head back to look at the blue sky, before lowering her gaze.

She stopped when her eyes landed on one of the top floor windows, and her breath hitched in her throat. Black hair, pale face, a cute striped shirt. A pair of widened, wondrous eyes stared right back at her.

And those eyes belonged to none other than her new neighbor.


	2. The Boy In The Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and El (kind of) officially meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just too excited to start the next chapter.

_Holy shit_ , thought Mike as he took in the sight before him.

Gazing up at him, was who he swore was the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes upon. The softest-looking, wavy, chocolate brown hair that fell right above her shoulders; wide hazel eyes that stared right back at him; lips opened slightly in...astonishment?

Even though Mike was looking at the girl through a window on the top floor of his house, he could still see her perfectly. She was a literal fucking  _angel_ who just showed up out of the blue and stole Mike's breath from his body.

Mike swallowed and decided to stop being a creep-I mean, staring at someone through your window? What could be more creepy?-and he raised his hand, giving her a small wave. She seems to gasp, blinking a couple times before she raises her own have, giving him a shy wave back.

Mike almost full-on  _grinned_.

_Get it together, Wheeler._

The moment ended when a burly man emerged from the open garage, saying something to the pretty girl. The girl looked away, her lips moving in words back. She looked over her shoulder at Mike for a quick second, before she turned away and followed the man into the house.

Mike inhaled deeply, taking in the air he had seemingly lost for the past few seconds. His mind whirled as he thought about what he just witnessed.

A girl, a  _beautiful_ girl, is his new next door neighbor. Just right next door is the prettiest girl Mike has ever seen in his life. Just  _looking_ at her had brought swarms of unfamiliar butterflies into his stomach.

Mike and his friends were probably the  _nerdiest_ kids at his school. They had been labeled as "The AV Nerds" for years, in fact. Mike was fine with it, really. And his friends were, too. Who cared about what the other kids thought of them? Yeah, Troy was kind of an ass...all the time. But other than that, no one ever bothered them.

But Mike had another thing against him by being a nerd, and that was girls. 

Mike had had a handful of crushes in his life. But they never really went anywhere because Mike just didn't have enough confidence to even look a girl in the _eyes_ , let alone  _ask a girl out_. So he just kind of ignored them and the eventually went away.

This girl though? He could already tell that was going to a be a different story.

The feelings that Mike felt from just looking at that girl were so different from how he'd felt with the minimal others. The feelings Mike was feeling were all new. Overpowering and all-consuming and kind of terrifying.

But there was one thing Mike knew for sure, and it was that he wanted to know the new girl next door. How was it possible that with just a glimpse at her, that he wanted to know everything about her? Every little quirk, little smile, little laugh. 

Mike stood up turned away from the window, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He wiped his sweaty palms on his navy shorts. He was just about to turn around again and look back out the window and look for the girl again, but his mom's voice sounded through the house before he could.

"Michael! Could you come here, please?"

Mike gulped, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and attempt to put on a calm facade for his mom so she wouldn't notice. He knew he'd give himself away if he didn't. 

He bounded down the stairs, taking a sharp turn around the corner to enter the kitchen. "Yeah, Mom?" Karen was at the counter, taking fresh chocolate chip cookies off the cooling rack sat atop the counter's surface, placing them in a nice tin.

She looked up at him. "Would you mind taking these over to our new neighbor's? Just a small welcome gift for them I whipped up." Karen closed the tin, picking it up and holding it out to him. "You'll be my favorite child."

Meanwhile, while his mom joked about upgrading him from forgotten middle child to the favorite one, Mike's heart had started pounding again as he looked at the tin in his mom's hand as if it would turn into a vicious monster and bite his hand off.

He would have to go over and possibly see that girl face to face? Was he ready for that?

Part of Mike wanted desperately to meet the cute girl next door, but the other part of him was scared, because why would a pretty girl like her want to talk to a dorky nerd like him? Girl's  _never_ wanted to talk to Mike. Why would she be any different?

"Michael?" His mom's voice brought Mike out of his thoughts. He knew he had to make a choice.

"Uh, yeah, sure, I guess," he replied, putting out his hand to take the tin from her.

She squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you, sweetie. Make sure to tell them 'welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Yep, right." Mike turned around and headed towards the front door.

_Well, it's now or never._

* * *

 

El stared right back up at the boy in the window. Her heart was stuttering in her chest. He was far away and it was kind of hard to see the exact features of his face, but even from that distance, she could tell he was cute.  _Really_ cute. Like, the cutest boy El had ever seen in her life.

The boy didn't break eye contact with her as he raised his hand and gave her a wave, a small smile quirking his lips. El gasped quietly, blinking up at him, before she waved back, hoping she didn't look awkward.

In El's old town, she didn't meet many cute boys. She had one boyfriend at 14, but that relationship only lasted a couple weeks. They hadn't even had their first kiss, it was so short. Needless to say, El didn't have much experience with boys.

Looking up at that boy, El was feeling a feeling unlike anything she had ever felt before, like a strong pull, a thick string pulling her towards that boy, making her feel connected to him. Despite not knowing him, El kind of felt like she did.

"El," a deep voice said from behind her. "Could you help me inside?" El turned away from the boy and met eyes with her father. El swallowed.

"Oh, uh, yeah." She glanced over her shoulder and met eyes with the boy, who was still watching her from the top floor window, before she turned away and followed her dad into their new lovely abode.

As El lugged boxes up the stairs and towards her new room, she couldn't seem to get her mind of the cute boy in the window. The way he had looked at her mad her want to go and knock on his door and ask him to hang out, which was unlike El, who was very shy and timid with new people.

She had never felt those kind of butterflies before. Her heart had never swooped like that. Her hands had never grown clammy that fast before. It was crazy to think that she had a crush on her neighbor when she hadn't even talked to him, had barely even seen his face.

But El knew what she was feeling. And it was definitely the beginning of a crush. El knew, though, that she wouldn't play on her feelings. They were stupid. If he happened to come over and say "hi", then she'd obviously reply. But that surely wouldn't happen.

El shook her head and focused on emptying her full cardboard boxes of stuff. She but her pale pink bedsheets on her bed. She hung her pictures on her walls. She decorated her white dresser/vanity. She made it hers.

Besides, that was her new home. She needed her sacred space back to make it feel like home.

As El was setting up her record player, there was suddenly the sound of the doorbell ringing from the front door. El paused her record-sorting. "I'll get it!" She called, running out of her room and down the stairs towards the front door before her dad could.

She whipped open the door with a smile, ready to greet whoever was at the door. "Hi-"

_Oh._

* * *

 

 

Mike shuffled his feet for a good 10 seconds as he stood in front of his new neighbors's house, the cookie tin clutched in his left hand and his other poised in front of the doorbell, just waiting to push it.

Mike took a deep breath, deciding to stop being a pussy and just push the damn button. He pushed it with his pointer finger, before taking it away quickly as if it were fire.

He heard nothing for a second, just the torture sound of the doorbell echoing through the house, before there was the sound of footsteps, quiet then getting louder as they got closer to the door. Mike took in a sharp breath through his nose. As he was about to breath out, the door opened-

-and there she was.

Her hair flew back from her face from the wind of the door opening in a rush. She had a wide smile on her face and- _holy shit her smile is the most fucking beautiful thing Mike had seen in his life_. She had bare feet and the same outfit she'd had on earlier. Her pretty hazel eyes looked him straight in the eyes.

_Oh. My God._

"Hi," Mike breathed.

"Hi," she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, oops. I didn't really put them meeting, in a way. Sorry. Next chapter, though! Which will be coming soon. Also, sorry it was kinda short. I thought it was way longer than it actually was. See you in the next one!


	3. Cute, Cute, Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and El meet for real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The five sweet comments I've gotten on this story has inspired me to write this book every day, so thank you uwu.

El swore her heart stopped at the sight in front of her. 

Neighbor Boy, looking flustered and oh-so-cute, holding a silver tin in is hand, was on her doorstep. Literally inches away from her. The butterflies in her stomach went havoc at their close proximity.

"Hi," he breathed, his cheeks tinting pink. 

 _Cute_.

"Hi," El replied, feeling just as flustered as he looked. Up close, she could see a splattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. They reminded her of beautiful, perfect constellations. She wanted to trace her fingertips over them. 

 _Cute_.

The boy blinked a couple times, seeming to be attempting to bring himself back to reality at the task obviously at hand. "Uh, hi. Hi." He looked embarrassed, and El accidentally let out a small giggle, which made him smile a little.

 _Holy crap, cute_.

"What can I do for you?" she asked softly, maintaining eye contact with him all the while. His eyes were such a dark brown they were almost black, and El wanted to drown in them, the beautiful, dark deep pools.

 _Cute, cute, cute_.

"Oh, sorry," he replied quickly. "Um, my mom made these cookies and she suggested a come over and welcome you to the neighborhood. Not that I wouldn't have done that  _without_ her suggesting I do! I mean, I saw you pull up and right away I was like 'I should go say hi', and-" He stopped himself, blushing a little when she giggled at him  _again_.

"Thank you. That's sweet," she said, saving him from his utter embarrassment. She gave him a small smile, which her returned slowly, both of them growing more comfortable with the situation.

"Oh! Here." The boy reached out and handed her the cookie tin. She took it from him, trying to ignore the way her heart beat faster at the slight brush of their fingers in passing. She carefully took the cap off the container and took a glimpse inside.

She gave him a smile she hoped would dampen his clear nervousness as he awaited her reaction. "Chocolate chip. My favorite. How'd she know?"

A hesitant smile pulled at his lips, and he shrugged. "I dunno. Lucky guess, maybe." She closed the tin.

"Well, tell her thank you. And thank you to you, too, for being her messenger."

He blushed again.  _He's so freaking cute_. "Any chance to get out of the house is a good one," he replied. He paused for a second before speaking again. "So, are your parents here, too?"

She shook her head, the memories of the past few weeks coming back. "No, it's just me and my dad." She doesn't say anything further. They're just strangers, after all. 

The boy looked slightly guilty for asking the question. "Oh, sorry that I assumed like that. That's not cool."

"It's fine. Anybody else would, I guess." She glanced at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Anyway, I never got your name, Neighbor Boy."

That got the boy to smile brightly. "My name's Mike, short for Michael. Michael Wheeler."

 _Mike_. Somehow, it suited him perfectly.

She reaches out her free hand, gesturing for a shake. "I'm El, short for Eleanor. Eleanor Hopper." He took her hand and shook it. A shot of electricity traveled down El's arm, electricity so strong it almost made her lose her balance. His hand was warm and soft in hers as he shook it.

It felt just  _right_.

The two of them pulled their hands away quickly when they realized they had been shaking hands a bit longer than necessary for a handshake, matching blushes blooming on their cheeks. Mike was the first to speak.

"I should probably get back," he said, jerking a thumb towards his house next door. 

El nodded. "Oh, yeah. You probably should." They stared at each for a moment, just smiling bashfully. Two gleaming smiles that held so much meaning behind them.

"Bye, El," Mike said, taking a step back.

"Bye, Mike," El said softly. He glanced at her one more time before he turned on his heel and-

-almost tripped over his own feet as he sauntered down the walk. El stifled a giggle as his arms flailed comically. He looked over his shoulders with an embarrassed look. She giggled a little this time, giving him a small wave. He gave her own back before turning back around and headed down her driveway.

 _CUTE_.

* * *

 

Mike couldn't stop smiling as he started walking back towards his house, even though he had totally almost fallen face first onto the sidewalk right in front of the prettiest girl he'd ever met.

Not only was his new neighbor- _El_ -ridiculously cute and pretty, but she was so fucking  _sweet_ , too. She hadn't seemed annoyed when he had started to ramble. She hadn't been mad at him after assuming she had two parents (though, admittedly, she probably should've). She didn't make fun of him when he almost tripped by just fucking  _walking_.

She was the sweetest person he'd ever talked to. If he didn't have a crush on her before, now he did. El Hopper, his new neighbor, had definitely caught his attention. And she wasn't gonna lose it anytime soon, either.

Yeah, Mike Wheeler totally, undoubtedly, and obviously had a crush on El Hopper.

It was a crush stronger than any crush he had ever had. The feelings he was already starting to have for El were unlike any others he'd had before.

And suddenly, as Mike arrived at his house and went right back up to his room, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop think about her adorable giggle, her soft voice, her pretty eyes, her perfect smile.  _Everything_.

And it  _scared_ him, how strong his feelings already were. It scared him how he couldn't even focus on his favorite comic because he couldn't stop thinking about her. His mind was just filled with her, and he couldn't make it stop.

And it was apparently obvious, because his mom wouldn't stop giving him odd looks at the dinner table that night.

"So, Michael, how was taking the cookies over to the new neighbors?" she asked casually, scooping up some peas. Mike almost choked on the milk he was taking a sip of, not expecting the question.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, it was fine." 

"Rumor has it that one of them is a girl your age. Is that true?" Karen watched him closely. He started to sweat under her gaze.

"Yeah, that's true. She's the one that greeted me at the door."

"Was she nice?" Holly piped up.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, she was."  _Really nice. Really. really nice_.

"Did she appreciate the cookies?" his mom asked, still watching him with that same look, like she could see right through him. Mike squirmed in his seat a little.

"Geez, give the boy a break, Karen," said Ted Wheeler, who was munching on his chicken. Karen shot him a look.

"I'm just curious! Our son came home from dropping those cookies off and holed up in his room for two hours. I want to know how it went!" Ted looked at her like he didn't believe him before he tuned his family out and focused back on his chicken.

Mike sighed quietly, trying not to roll his eyes. "Yes, Mom, she appreciated them. She actually said chocolate chip cookies are her favorite." He hadn't originally planned on telling his mom that fact, even though he'd said he would, but fuck it.

Karen practically grinned at his words. "That's great! She has good taste." Yeah, Mike kinda wanted to leave the table. Something about the way his mom looked at him made him feel like somehow she knew everything he was thinking and feeling.

"Well, I want to meet her!" Holly exclaimed. Mike almost rolled his eyes again, because  _of course_ Holly wanted to meet El. Even though it was probably too soon to think it, Mike wanted to keep El to himself. His family was too annoying and he didn't want them involved.

"That's a great idea! Michael, you should introduce Holly to her sometime!" Karen suggested excitedly, while meanwhile, Mike wanted to die.

"May I be excused?"

* * *

 

El closed the door after Mike left her driveway. She locked it and turned around, leaning back against it. She had a huge grin on her face as she thought back to what had just happened with a certain boy named Mike Wheeler.

El had had a feeling he was a cute boy when she had first seen him in that window, but now? He'd exceeded her expectations. He was kind of... _pretty_. Even though boys aren't usually described like that, El didn't care, because that's the perfect word to describe Mike Wheeler.

He was also such a dork, rambling and almost tripping on air. He was so nice, too. And he'd actually truly been sorry when he'd assumed things too quickly. And his smile, too, my gosh. Don't get El started on his smile. 

His personality, his smile, his eyes, his hair, his  _freckles_. Pretty, definitely pretty. 

El wanted so badly to know Mike Wheeler. She wanted to have long conversations with him. She wanted to laugh with him and joke with him. She wanted to go do those summer things she missed out on with him.

She didn't want him to just be her neighbor. No, she wanted him to be her friend. Maybe even more, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself. 

And she was going to make that happen. She'd be sure of it.

With the grin still on her face, El plopped the cookies in the kitchen before running up the stairs and towards her new room, ready to finish decoration so she could finally enjoy her new house. 

She set up her record player in a similar spot and opened it. She pulled out a Whitney Houston album and slipped the record onto the record player. She placed the needle on the spinning record, smiling as the music filled her room.

And, for the next two hours, El decorated her new room, all while holding her hairbrush and singing to some of her favorite songs ever. And, of course, still thinking about one Mike Wheeler.

Later, Hopper called her down for dinner. El turned off the record player and dropped her hairbrush on her dresser. She skipped down the stairs, just in a bubble of joy and contentment with her new life.

She was already loving it.

When she entered the kitchen, Hop was already at the two-seater kitchen table, with two cheap microwave dinners in front of him. El took a seat across from him. She unwrapped her dinner and started eating the food.

She scrunched her nose at the taste, unfamiliar with any dinner food that wasn't her mother's food. "I don't miss Mom too much, but I definitely miss her food."

Hopper chuckled. "I'll admit, I feel the same. These microwave dinners don't compare to your mom's dinners."

Comfortable silence settled over them as the two Hopper's enjoyed their dinner. 

Halfway through their food, Hopper spoke up. "So, El, who was at the door earlier?" El looked up to meet her father's eyes, which were already looking at her.

"Oh. It was the neighbor."

"What'd they want?" Hopper asked gruffly. He didn't really want visitors popping up all the time.

"He had some cookies his mom made. They were a 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift." El blushed a little as she remembered the exchange, a small smile quirking her lips. Hopper raised a brow at her.

"Okay. Was he around your age?" He seemed like he was asking out of curiosity, but it seemed like there was something else behind the question.

El nodded slowly. "I think so. He wasn't some creepy 20-year-old or something, Dad."

He raised the hand that wasn't holding his fork in surrender. "Just asking, kid. Don't worry. I trust you. And I know you won't make any bad decisions." He looked at her expectantly. El sunk down in her seat a little.

 _He totally knows_.

"Of course, Dad."

He ruffled her hair, just like he'd always done. El batted his hand away with an annoyed, but fond smile. "Love ya, kid."

"Love you, too, Dad."

And while they finished their dinner, El spaced out and found herself thinking about Mike again.

 _Wow, I'm screwed_ , thought El.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! I really liked adding in some family stuff, but also, of course, the fluff. El and Mike finally met! Yay! I hope you guys enjoyed reading. See you in the next chapter!


	4. Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendship starts to form and the truth is told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you for the sweet comments. They're making me so happy. This is the longest story I've written so far and I'm so happy with where it's going. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Mike wasn't thinking about the dread of going back to school anymore. No, he was thinking about one specific girl named El Hopper.

All Saturday night, Mike still couldn't stop thinking about her. As he brushed his teeth, he thought about her; as he got on his pajamas, he thought about her; as he laid in his bed that night and tried to go to sleep, he thought about her.

Needless to say, El Hopper had only been his neighbor for 14 hours and he was already distracted from literally everything and got only 4 hours of sleep. And when he slept? Well, he dreamt about her, too. Dreamt of her smile and her laugh and her dimples and her sweet voice.

So, when Mike woke up on that Sunday morning, he was kind of in a haze. But right when he saw that the clock read 11:15am, he was fully awake right away. No, Mike wasn't wasting anymore time. He only had one day left before school started and he was going to talk to El before weekend's end.

Or, at least see her again. Mike didn't know if he had enough to confidence to go up and talk to her again.

He quickly got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth so fast it could be a World Record, spat his toothpaste in the sink, then splashed water in his face. He quickly dried his face off before heading back into his bedroom.

His speed decreased as he stopped in front of it and stared at the clothes taunting him on the hangers. His closet was practically just stripes and knitted sweaters (which he obviously wouldn't wear in the heat).

He decided on a navy and white striped shirt, grabbing it off the hanger and slipping it on. He buttoned one of the buttons before he grabbed his navy shorts and slipped them on, too. He grabbed a pair of socks and his sneakers.

After he had his shoes on, he headed downstairs for some food.

He wasn't surprised when he saw there was no breakfast on the table and that his family was nowhere to be seen. Well, except for Karen, who was cleaning dishes in the sink. 

"Morning, Mom," Mike said, wanting to give a sign that he was up and ready for the day. Karen turned around.

"Goodness, Michael, I thought you were going to sleep the day away!" she scolded, knowing she raised her kids better than that. Mike smiled at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mom. I, um, stayed up...reading my comics! Yeah. Really good. I couldn't stop," Mike lied, hoping his mom didn't notice his hesitance. He also hoped he didn't show his lie on his face, even though Mike always made it obvious he was lying, with his face.

Karen shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "It's fine, Michael. Your breakfast is on the counter." Mike turned, spotting the plate of eggs, bacon and pancakes on the countertop. Mike's stomach growled at the sight of the food and he grabbed the plate, bringing it to the kitchen table.

He scarfed down his food like an animal that hadn't had food in weeks. He was so invested in eating that he didn't even notice Karen staring at her son in disbelief. Usually, she would scold him, but she let it fly that time.

When he was done eating, Mike stood up and put his plate in the sink. He gave his mom a kiss on the cheek along with a rushed thank-you before he ran up the stairs.

Instead of going to his own room, he went straight to Nancy's old one. He smiled when he entered, his eyes going right to that window. He walked towards it and took a seat on the window seat.

He leaned his elbows on the edge of the window and gazed out the glass, waiting to catch a glimpse of something, or  _someone_.

He felt like a creep. A total creep. But at the same time, he didn't want to stop. Maybe he'd find something to do so she would think he was just sitting there doing something instead of waiting for her to show up.

He glanced around his older sister's room, looking for something to grab and occupy himself with. He stopped looking when he spotted a _Rubix Cube_ sitting on one of Nancy's shelves filled with knick-knacks.

Mike stood up, walking over to the shelf and snatching the cube. He went back over to the window and sat back down. He started to fiddle with the cubes, twisting it back and forth to begin matching the bright colors with each other.

Truthfully, Mike had only used a  _Rubix Cube_ once in his life, but whatever. He'd figure it out. And he'd started to as he continued to mix the colors around. And at the same time, he glanced up every few seconds, just to see if the pretty girl and popped up in the window across from Nancy's.

And when he glanced up for probably the tenth time in the last 15 minutes, he finally saw her.

It was just a glimpse as she passed by the window, but he still saw her. She was wearing a pretty, flowing yellow sundress, and her hair was half pulled up with a scrunchie. She looked so beautiful it made Mike's heart hurt a little.

He felt disappointment settle in his stomach, but it went away when she came back to the window with two pieces of fabric in her hands. She reached up and started hanging the fabric, and he realized that they were curtains. Pastel pink ones.

Her mouth was moving as she thoughtfully arranged the curtains. Maybe she was singing to a song? She pulled the curtains aside once she seemed happy with them and hooked them securely on either side of the window, so Mike could still see inside.

He didn't want her to see him staring at her  _again_ , so he went back to messing with the colored cube, instead. But before he could get very far, he felt like someone was watching him. He looked up, and met eyes with one El Hopper.

Her eyes widened slightly as they met his, and it seemed like a slight blush started to cover her cheeks. She lifted a hand, waving at him and mouthed 'hi'. Mike smiled, dropping the cube onto the window seat. He waved back, also mouthing a 'hi'.

She mouthed something else, but this time, Mike couldn't figure out what she'd said. He scrunched his eyebrows, mouthing 'what?'. She bit her lip for a second, before she left the window. Mike frowned, his heart dropping.

Suddenly, she was back. He watched as she slapped a piece of paper on the window. The paper had a perfect scrawl on them that read 'teem em edistuO?'. He was confused for a second before he realized it was backwards.

He tried not to laugh, but she noticed, and she wrinkled her brows at him before taking the paper off the window and looked at it. She must've realized it was backwards for him, because she chucked the paper behind her and grabbed another piece. She rewrote it, placing the paper on the window and holding it in place with her wrists as she wrote it again.

She capped the marker she was using before she flipped the paper around, pressing it back up against the glass. Mike read the paper: 'meet me outside?' it read. Mike smiled, nodding and giving her a thumbs up. She grinned in reply and disappeared from view.

Mike rushed away from the window, a huge grin on his face as he ran down the staircase. He didn't even glance in the kitchen to see if his mom was there, he was so eager. He yanked the front door open, yelling an "I'm leaving!" before walking out the door.

He stopped in the middle of the path leading to his front door, because there she was, standing there in the brightest-of-yellows colored dress flowing around her knees in the wind and her short curls brushing against the apples of her cheeks.

She looked like the most perfect, pure being he'd ever seen in his life. She looked like the sun; bright and warm as she smiled her pretty smile at him. He didn't notice just how dull his life was until he saw her in that moment, because just her smile and presence brought an overwhelming amount of light and color into his life.

With his heart beating fast in a pitter-patter beat, he took slow steps down his driveway and across the lawn between their houses. "Hi," he said as he approached her. If it was possible, her smile grew bigger, and two dimples formed on her cheeks.  _Wow_.

"Hi," she replied in that sweet, soft voice of hers, which sent tingles down his spine because it was so  _beautiful_ and just utterly  _her_. They smiled at each other for a quick second before Mike spoke again.

"So, why'd you ask me to meet you out here?" he asked her. He swore he saw her blush a little, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

"Oh, um, I kind of...well, I liked talking to you yesterday, and I was kinda sick of putting stuff away in the house, so I decided to see if you'd hang out with me for a bit. I mean, why not get to know my new neighbor?" She looked shy all of a sudden as she said that. It made his heart clench.

"Well, of course. Would you like to maybe find a place to talk?"

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Mike almost pumped his fist in the air out of excitement. Almost. "I know a spot," he said.

 

 

* * *

 

Asking Mike to meet her outside took El a huge amount of courage. 

When El woke up on that bright Sunday morning, her adorable next door neighbor was the first thing on her mind. Not breakfast, not decorating the rest of the house, not her father. No, it was Mike. Mike, with his midnight hair. Mike, with his starry freckles. Mike, with his deep brown eyes.

It scared her, the fact that she couldn't seem to think about anything else as she completed her morning routine in her new house. She'd never thought about someone this much in her life. Never.

So, when El was just hanging her pretty curtains along her window, her heart leaped and soared when she saw just the specific boy in the window across from hers. He was sitting on the window seat and fiddling with what looked like to be a  _Rubix Cube_.

A smile made its way onto her lips as she watched him for a second, looking so cute and semi-focused as he bit his lip and shifted the small, colored cubes back and forth to match the colors with their kind.

Suddenly, he looked up and met her eyes. El gasped quietly, her eyes widening as his eyes met hers across the way. He looked just as surprised as she felt when he met her eyes, his hand holding the cube dropping as if she were more interesting. 

That thought sent a trill down El's spine.

She decided to stop staring, so she lifted her hand and gave him what she hoped was a kind wave, mouthing 'hi'. He looked even more surprised, before he mouthed a 'hi' back. Right away, El got the strong urge to see him. An urge so strong that she couldn't ignore it.

So, as if on auto-pilot, she left the window quickly. She rummaged around in the brown cardboard box sitting by her desk. She pulled out a clean piece of white paper and a _Sharpie_. She ran back to window. 

She put the paper against the window and scrawled 'meet me outside?' on the clean, slick surface of the sheet, before she capped the marker and flipped the paper around, dropping the marker on the floor.  _She'd pick it up later_.

She watched as he read what she wrote, but her excitement dropped when her crinkled his brows, looking very confused. El pulled the paper away and looked at what she'd written.

That's when she realized it. It was freaking backwards for him. Duh. She huffed a short breath out of her nose before she dropped the paper on the floor and went back to the box, grabbing another piece. She picked up the marker and quickly re-wrote the words, but backwards that time.

She dropped the marker again before turning the paper around. This time, he seemed to get it, because the crinkle between his brows went away and he smiled, nodding and giving her a thumbs up. El's heart skipped a beat at how damn cute he looked.

 _Maybe I'm going to have a heart attack. I don't think this is normal,_ El thought.

El grinned at him before she dropped the paper and ran away from the window. She grabbed her white  _Converse_ from next to her door, slipping them on and tying them, before she ran down the staircase and towards the front door.

She quickly wrote a cute note for her dad that read,  _"Going out. Be back later. Love, Ellie xoxo."_ She stuck the note to the dining table before leaving the house.

She went down the front walk and down the driveway. She peered over at Mike's driveway to see if he was there, but he wasn't, so she decided to just savor the sun and the sounds of the nature around her. She leaned her head back and bathed in the light for a moment.

She heard a door close, so she looked over towards the Wheeler house next door. She instantly smiles when she sees a lanky Mike walking down his front walk. He was dressed in yet another adorable stripped shirt and some shorts with the same shoes he wore the day before.

He looked so freaking cute El thought she was in heaven. It wasn't possible that someone that cute existed in the world. It was just impossible. But there he was, right in front of her. A smile came over El's face.

She watched as he stopped in his tracks, looking right at her. He looked a little surprised for a second, but in a heartbeat he calmed when he saw that it was her. They stared at each other for a quick moment before he started to walk towards her.

He stopped on the lawn in between their two houses. "Hi," he said in his soft, kind voice, smiling at her. He had his hands in his pockets and his hair was being ruffled from the wind, giving it a messier look than it had before. Still cute.  _Super_ cute.

"Hi," she replied, her smile growing.

"So, why'd you ask me to meet you out here?" he asked her. Her cheeks heated up.

"Oh, um, I kind of...well, I liked talking to you yesterday, and I was kinda sick of putting stuff away in the house, so I decided to see if you'd hang out with me for a bit. I mean, why not get to know my new neighbor?" She felt shy and nervous all of a sudden, ready to regret ever asking.

"Well, of course. Would you like to maybe find a place to talk?" She felt relief rush over her.

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Mike almost pumped his fist in the air out of excitement. Almost. "I know a spot," he said.

He turned around, walking back over to his driveway. She wrinkled her brows in confusion as she watched him open the garage. She went to stand in front of the garage and watch what he was doing. She realized what he was getting at when he pulled a old-looking bike from the corner of the garage interior.

He wheeled it out and into the light. He looked at her nervously. "The spot isn't super close, so I thought...?" He patted the extra seat on the back of the bike behind the main seat. El's heart fluttered a little at the thought of riding a bike with Mike.

"Oh! Yeah, um, yeah, sure." She walked towards him and the bike he was holding by the handlebars. He smiled when he saw her coming towards him, and she gave him a hesitant smile back. 

He got onto the bike and she got on behind him. Since they were kind of still practically strangers, she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do next.

"You're gonna have to hold onto me if you don;t wanna fall off," he informed her honestly, not like he was hinting that she touch him, but more like he cared about her safety. She nodded, lifting her arms and taking hold of the sides of his shirt.

Mike pushed off the ground with his foot and pedaled down the driveway. El tightened her grip on him as he started biking down Maple Street.

As they rode, El was feeling very... _blissful_. All she could focus on was  _Mike_. She was literally holding onto him, their bodies so utterly close, probably too close for to people who had just met, but whatever. She could smell his cologne and just  _boy_ smell. She could feel his black locks whipping against her face, mixing with her own chocolate brown ones.

"Just a bit farther, El," Mike shouted after a bit of biking. They had just left the town and were heading down a road by the woods. She was starting to feel intrigued and excited as he biked them to this new, unfamiliar place.

And in the sun, feeling the wind whip across her face and the warm heat of the boy in front of her seep into her skin, El felt happier then she had in awhile.

* * *

 

Mike couldn't believe what was happening.

He was riding on his ratty old bike, like always, but there was one thing that was different, and that was the fact that there was another human that was riding behind him, and that other human was El.

He knew, when he pulled out the bike, the it was risky to ask her if she'd be willing to ride behind him all the way to his location, but there was no other way to get to the quarry, so it was the only option. Except for a car, of course, but that wasn't as fun.

So yeah, Mike had been worried to ask, but of course El agreed to it.

And there he was, riding down the dirt road he knew by heart, with El behind him and gripping his t-shirt in her hands. He could feel her hair combining with his as the wind blew in their faces, and he could smell her sweet, flowery smell, and he could feel the warmth from her hands through his shirt.

It was amazing, and he wanted to do it again and again. He wanted to have her body that close to his all the time. Maybe it was partially his teenage hormones making him want that, but he knew part of it was his heart that wanted it.

He tried to focus on getting them to their destination instead of focusing on the beautiful girl seated behind him. He took a turn, and then they were at the quarry. He came to a stop. He put down the kickstand as she got off the bike. He got off, too.

He watched as she looked out over the deep hole filled with water. "So this is where you wanted to take me?" she asked, turning around with a small smirk that she probably wants dot come across as smug but just managed to come across as cute.

"Yeah. My friends and I like to come here sometimes in the summer and swim at the beach at the bottom, or just hang out. I like this spot better, though," he replied. Secretly, it was his spot he used to come and think, but also secretly, he wanted to make it  _their_ spot.

"It's cool. I like it." She took a seat on the rocks, staying a safe distance away from the very edge. As she looked out over the abyss, he walked over and sat down next to her, leaving some space in between their bodies so they weren't too close.

"I'm glad," he said, looking out at the landscape with her.

She turned to him. "So, Mike Wheeler, tell me a about yourself," she said in an eager voice. He turned his head towards her, smiling a little ate her obvious eagerness.

"Well, I don't know. I'm not a super exciting person."

"I doubt that!" El snorted immediately.

He puffed out a breath of air. "Well, I'm kind of a huge nerd. I like playing a game called D&D and read comic books." He cringed at how nerdy he was. Saying it out loud made him realize he was probably top-level nerd.

She chuckled at his reaction to his own words. "Well, Mike, I've played D&D once and comic books are awesome."

He looked at her with wide eyes. Did she really just say that?  _How is she even real_ _?_ Mike had never met a girl that had even  _heard of_ D&D, let alone played it before. And a girl that liked comics? Was this a dream?

"Seriously?" he asked in disbelief.

"Why so shocked, Wheeler? Never met a girl that's just as nerdy as you are?" She giggled at his shellshocked expression.

"I mean, I-I...no, not really," he stuttered. 

El crossed her arms, grinning up at him. "Well, now you have. Congrats."

Mike was still kinda shocked. He shook his head. "Huh. Anyways, anything else you want to know, sunshine?"

She raised her brows, a blush blooming on her cheeks. "Sunshine?"

Mike blushed, too, when he realized that he'd actually called her that out loud. "Oh, uh, yeah. You know." He gestured towards her dress. "Your dress. Also, you're kinda like the sun, bright and cheerful and happy...I don't know, sorry-"

She put a hand on his arm. "Mike, it's fine. It's...kind of nice. I like it."

The nervous tension in his shoulders went away. "Oh, okay. Cool."

She smiled at him. She looked down at her hand, realizing it was still on his shoulder and took it away quickly. She cleared her throat. "Anyways. I have more questions. How old are you?"

"16. You?"

"16. Favorite color?"

He almost laughed. "Blue."

"Mine are yellow and pink. I can't choose one. Favorite subject?"

"Science. You?"

"English. Any siblings?"

"Two. Two sisters. One older, one younger. Do you...?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Just me."

"Okay. I have a question, now. Why'd you move here?" He could see her face drop at the question, and he immediately regretted asking the question. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that-"

She put a hand up, shaking her head, stopping him mid-sentance. "No, it's fine. I mean, you're my neighbor. It'd be nice for you to know."

He breathed a calming breath. "Okay. If you want to."

El swallowed visibly. "Well, my parents kind of got into a huge fight. My dad was making a lot of money from his job he was working, and my mom was mad at him for it because he didn't have a lot of money to care for us, which is definitely not true. We had enough money to survive. My guess is she just wanted to cause problems."

Mike frowned as she explained. "That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that, El."

She gave him a sad smile. "That's...not all."

"Oh. Okay."

"My mom...My mom cheated on my dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowwww. That was officially the longest chapter I have written, at almost 4,000 words. Longest thing I've written on A03, for that matter. It just kinda poured out of me, and I also wanted to get some good conversation between our two lovebirds in there, hahah. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter! See you in the next one. :)


	5. A Smile Like The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El's emotions about her past get the best of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...wrote this whole chapter...and loved it...and then I made the mistake...of opening Grammarly...and it got stuck...and dELETED EVERYTHING. Fml. So I'm finally rewriting it now.
> 
> Okay, but like, the CONTENT these days is amazing. And we got the final trailer today and it's amazing and I'm so excited, yet so scared. But I also can't wait to see my bbys Mileven again. They are going to utterly kILL ME, but idc uwu

El could feel the terrible, dense, shock settle over the two of them like a gray rain cloud full of rain. Mike's face transformed from chill and calm to shocked and gaping. His smile dropped instantly, and regret settled in El's stomach.

She shouldn't have said it. She should've kept it to herself. They were practically strangers. She didn't need to pile her problems on him.

It was because she felt safe with him, is what El realized. Something about his presence made her feel warm and safe. Looking into his chocolate eyes, she suddenly felt like she could tell him anything, and he wouldn't judge.

But that was stupid. He would just pity her like everyone else.

El's guard came up, and she tensed, not waiting to hear what Mike might say. "Anyways," she said, her voice cold. Mike had been staring at her with what looked like pitiful eyes to El, but unknowing to El, it was actually just sadness, because he wished she hadn't had to go through that.

"El-"

She cut him off, forcing a smile onto her face. "How long have you lived here?" He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his brain working again after the sudden subject change.

"Um...my whole life. My parents grew up here, so they decided to raise their kids here, too." He shrugged. "Why would you move to a little shit-town like Hawkins?" he asked, turning to her. He pushes away the urge to push the stray hair that's flying around her head from the wind behind her ear.

He watched as she averted her eyes from the view of the quarry in front of her. "My dad grew up here, too. He thought it'd be nice to move back here and get a job as the chief of police." She paused, the corners of her lips quirking up a bit. "And it's not a shit-town. I like it. It's calm and bright. And I like that it's small."

"Where'd you live...before?" He asked this cautiously, just in case it was overstepping boundaries. He wasn't going to push her to tell him anything. "If you, uh, don't mind me asking."

She shook her head, the smile that was forming on her lips vanishing in a matter of seconds. "We lived in Indianapolis. Lots of people. My school was huge and busy. It was home, but now that I live here, I realize how much I never truly loved it.”

"That's awesome, El. I guess Hawkins isn't that bad," he said as he looked out over the quarry. The tension just didn't seem to go away, and suddenly, in a matter of seconds, El feels as if she ruined everything. She shared her past with someone and this was what she got for it.

She stood up abruptly, making Mike startle as he watched her stand up, brushing the dirt off the skirt of her dress. "I should, um, get home. Thanks for taking me here, Mike." As he looked into her eyes, he could see the sincerity in them, but the wall came back up in an instant. "I don't need a ride back. I'll find my way."

And with that, she turned around in a cloud of orange perfume and bright yellow fabric, walking-no running-away from him. He stood quickly, kind of in shock and unable to move and the sudden way she just...left him.

He stood there like a dumbass, watching her disappear into the green forest, his feet seemingly glued to the ground. But, after a moment, it dawned on him what just had really happened: he'd screwed up. Per usual.

And it was with the most beautiful he had ever met.

He wanted to smack himself on the forehead; wanted to call himself the worst words he could come up with. He'd met a pretty girl who was sweet and funny, and when she walked away from him, obviously turned off by something he did, he just stood there like the total idiot he was.

 _Good job, Wheeler. Good job_.

Sadness settled over him as he made his way over to his bike, not wanting to stay at the quarry anymore. There was no point anyway. So, he sat down on his bike and pushed off from the ground with one foot before riding down the bumpy path.

His mind was filled with thoughts of El all through the silent ride home. He thought about how she'd opened up and shared with him; how he could see the plain trust in her eyes as she had told him.

But he also thought about how her guard had gone right back up; thought about how she closed herself off from him.

He understood. He did. He wasn't offended by the fact that she had changed the subject. He wouldn't have shared his whole life story with a practical stranger, either. But it was the way that he felt her shrink away from him, how it had suddenly felt like she was miles away.

Dammit, he thought they were becoming  _friends_. And, truth be told, Mike  _really_ wanted to be friends with El. More than anything. He was sort of entranced by her, in a way that he wouldn't be admitting to anyone any time soon.

He was entranced by her personality; how kind she was, and calm, and sweet. She had pulled him in instantly with her kind nature.

He was entranced by her chocolate curls; how they glistened in the sun and bounced when she nodded or walked. Oh, how he wanted to twist one of those curls around his finger or brush it behind her ear.

He was entranced by her smile; how bright it was, like the sun in the sky, and how it made him want to smile right back. He would do anything to make her smile.

He was entranced by  _her_. Just her as a whole. 

And he was riding on his bike, alone, after she'd left him at the quarry, probably to never speak to him again. He'd have to deal with seeing her next door. Maybe he'd even sneak into Nancy's room and peek out the window, just to see her, despite how creepy that prospect definitely was.

 _I'll live,_ he decided.

So, pushing all thoughts of El out of his mind, he pumps his legs harder to get home faster, so he could get out of the heat and into his air-conditioned home. His comic book was calling him from his bed.

Once home, he propped his bike against the wall before he headed inside. There was a note for him on the fridge where he went to grab some water, which informed him that his mom and Holly had gone to the store to grab some groceries.

He threw the paper in the trash, grabbed a water bottle, then headed upstairs. He pushed away the urge to go into Nancy's room instead of his own. 

He was just starting to get into his comic book when his Supercomm started to make a static noise, which he knew meant one of his friends was calling him.

 _"Mike,"_ Dustin's voice crackled over the line. Mike chucked his comic on the bed, sitting up. He grabbed his Supercomm off the table next to his bed.

He pushed the button and raised the Supercomm to his mouth to speak. "Yeah, Dustin?"

 _"Mike, you gotta say over when you're finished talking."_  Mike rolled his eyes. _"But anyway, you_ _up for one last trip to the arcade before summer ends? Will and Lucas already agreed. Over"_ Dustin said. Mike glanced at his comic book laying flat on his bedspread facedown.

_Maybe a distraction would be nice..._

"Yeah, sure, I'm up for it. Over," Mike replied, deciding his comic could wait until later.

 _"Awesome! We'll all meet there in half an hour, over and out."_ Mike sat his Supercomm back down on the table, settling back in to read a little more before he had to bike to the arcade.

Later, at the arcade, Mike was trying to enjoy the games. He watched as Lucas and Dustin fought about who was going to save the princess. Mike could tell Will wasn't very interested in their banter, either, as he was sketching something in his notebook he brought everywhere.

Mike fidgeted with the zipper of his sweatshirt, his mind wandering as he stared at the screen of the arcade game blankly. 

He couldn't stop thinking about El. Still. No matter how hard he tried to think about other things, he still could only think about her.

He couldn't stop thinking about how he wanted to go back in time and ask her a different question. Or go even further back and make it so he hadn't suggested they go to the quarry at all in the first place, so he would still have a clean slate with her.

Mike was a natural worrier. He always thought he was the one that messed everything up, and after years of being bullied by Troy, it had gotten worse over the years. So this? He didn't even think about how it might not have been his fault at all, that maybe El was just having other feelings that didn't have to do with him.

But the lover for self-deprecation in him overruled, per usual. So he was stuck overthinking everything and cursing himself for messing everything up. And Will, being his best friend the longest and the one that read him best, noticed.

"You okay, Mike?" Will asked his best friend, looking down at Mike's fingers, which were twisting his zipper back and forth.

Mike looked at him like he was surprised that Will spoke to him. Or maybe like he forgot where he was. Either way, he looked spooked. "What? Oh! Uh, yeah. I'm good. Totally fine."

Will didn't buy this, of course, but he and Mike told each other everything. He knew if Mike was keeping something from him, he'd tell him eventually. So, he brushed it off, but not before sending Mike what he hoped was a calming smile.

The tension in Mike's shoulders seemed to ease, and he smiled back at Will, the fidgeting of his fingers calming a little, too.

* * *

 

El rushed into the house, sweat pouring down her face, making her hair stick to her neck and forehead. She didn't look to see if her dad was home. She just went right upstairs.

The emotions were piling heavily on her as she took heavy steps towards her bedroom. She could feel herself getting weighed down by them, her breathing growing heavier and faster by the seconds.

She didn't go to her bed. No, she went to the corner of her room and sat against the wall, pulling her knees tightly against her chest. She took deep breathes, squeezing her eyes shut as tears started to form in them.

She rocked back and forth, trying to calm herself.

She had never told anyone, not even her dad, but the events of the past few years have taken a huge toll on her mental health. It started right when she saw that man in her mother's bedroom, and only got worse as she kept the secret from her father.

It continued to get worse and worse. Her father eventually found out but loved Terry so much that he didn't say anything. He ignored it and tried to pretend that he and Terry were still in love; that they were still the same couple they always were.

El would often come home from school and see those large loafers that didn't belong to her dad right at the entrance of their house. And she'd hear the moans and thumping as she tried to study. She clasped her hands over her ears and curled into a ball, trying to block out the noise.

It never worked. They were right across the hall. She could hear every sound they made, despite her closed door and covered ears. 

She had eventually gotten a walkman, so she could use the headphones and music to tune the sounds out, and it worked, but the problem was she still knew what they were doing it. She couldn't hear it, but she could still imagine it, and it had irked her to no end.

They were the worst times in her life. The times where she no longer had a happy, bonded family. Times where she couldn't look at her mother without thinking of her with  _that man_. Times where smiling was near impossible.

And, even though the only color she wears is yellow, the color of happiness, she still always feels the lingering sadness of the past few years. Being in Hawkins, away from Terry, doesn't change that at all.

So El sat in her bedroom, alone and using her arms to muffle her sobs as they started to wrack her body, the weight of the past few years settling on her, and the sadness of the missed years of growing up with a happy family making her heart sink to the floor.

And she'd found a friend. Right when she got into that new, small town. A new friend who brightened her day with his small, shy smile that spoke a million different words. He'd taken time out of his day to come over and talk to her after she'd asked.

And he'd taken her to his place, to show her a small part of his world; to give her a piece of it. And then she'd  _pushed him away_ for it. She'd just left him there after he'd brought her to that beautiful quarry and shared some of his life with her.

So she cried for that, too. She cried for the missed opportunity of being friends with one Mike Wheeler, the boy she so desperately wanted to be friends with. He'd probably never speak to her again. And it sucked.

She wiped a couple of tears-still crying but wanting to dry some tears-before she crawled over to her window. She placed her arms on the edge of it, looking out towards the window across from hers, a small spark of hope forming at the thought of seeing his cute face looking back at her.

But he's not there, and El realized that the room through the window looked oddly like a girl's room, with frilly pink bedcovers and ballerinas scattered around the room. A smile twitched at El's lips before she sunk back down onto the floor.

She glanced down at her bright, yellow sundress. She ran gentle fingers across the soft fabric. "Sunshine," she whispered to herself, feeling herself start to smile. "He'd called me sunshine." He hadn't seen her as a girl with an emotional past, but he'd seen her as  _the sun_. And that meant so much to El.

She had to see him again. She  _had_ to.

And she would do everything in her power to make sure that happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, finally! A new chapter is done! I hope you guys enjoyed reading. Also, only 11 FREAKING DAYS UNTIL ST3. I'm so excited! Another also, I changed the name of this book to "Sunshine" because I think Mike's nickname for her is cute and needs to be the title.


	6. Hawkins High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's El's first day of school. Will she see Mike again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, a new chapter! I'm sorry I don't post often. I'm the kind of writer to write only when I'm in the mood or have inspiration. So, yeah, here's the newest chapter!

The sound of Mike's alarm clock cutting through Mike's peaceful sleep is the worst sound he'd heard all summer.

He groaned and slipped his arm out from under the covers to slap the snooze button atop his alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes to try and get some of the sleepy haze to go away.

It was the first day of school, and he knew his mom would get so mad at him if he didn't wake up after his alarm. She'd probably come in yelling at him to get his lazy tush out of bed and yank his covers off.

He knew this from past experience.

Mike begrudgingly pulled his warm covers off and got out of bed. He stretched his long arms above his head, yawning. He headed over to his closet and grabbed some clothes hastily. Besides, he knew his striped shirts and pants all matched with each other.

He got ready for school in a sluggish haze, throwing his clothes on and brushing his teeth. He stared into the mirror, looking into his own eyes. He ran his hands over his scruffy, messy mane of midnight locks. They were messy, per usual, but he couldn't really fix them well.

He grabbed his backpack from his desk and headed downstairs to eat the breakfast he knew his mom probably already had on the table, as he could smell the fragrance of cooking eggs and toasting bread.

"Michael," his mom said when he entered the dining room, where she was putting plates of food on the table. "I'm surprised you actually got up when your alarm rang."

He shrugged. Didn't want you coming in to wake me up," he replied. He sat down. Holly was already in her seat and stuffing eggs into her mouth. He reached across the table and grabbed the syrup. "Want some?" he asked her, lifting the bottle in question after he poured a decent amount all over his eggs.

She scrunched her nose in disgust. "No, Mikey! That's gross. How can you eat that?" 

"It's good!" he exclaimed. How could no one else find it good? 

He reached over and pretended to start pouring the syrup on her eggs. She gasped and shoved his hand away. "No!"

He laughed at her horrified expression. "I was just joking, Holls." She glared him, but she didn't look anywhere near scary with her pigtails and pink dress with a sheep printed on the front.

Mike quickly ate his food, eager to see his friends at school again. Even though he'd only seen them just two days ago, it felt like it had been years.

When he got outside after saying goodbye to his mother with a kiss on her cheek and giving Holly a quick hug, he stopped in the driveway, halfway to getting his bike from the side of the garage.

He looked up at the light blue house next door, his eyes going straight to the window adorned with pink, frilly curtains. His heart dropped when he couldn't see anything-or  _someone_ \- from where he was on the ground.

He'd kind of forgotten about the whole thing with El Hopper the day before. He was distracted by school looming in the future. But then he saw her house and her window, and it all came back to him like a rushing wave.

He shook his head and proceeded to grab his bike and mount onto it.

After the day before, he was unsure if El would ever want to talk to him again. She'd ran away from him like he was the plaque, for some reason unknown to him. It was probably something he said. Or did. It usually was.

He'd wanted to be friends with her. So badly. After hearing her talk about herself; about her personality-her likes, her dislikes-he'd wanted to get to know her more. 

He wanted to hang out with her all the time. He wanted to share his comic books with her and take walks with her and introduce her to his friends. He wanted her to come to the movies and the arcade with them.

But that probably wouldn't happen, now.

As Mike biked down the street, headed towards the high school, he wondered if El would be going to school with them. Would he see her in the halls? Would he share classes with her? Would he have to see her and have to force himself not to talk to her?

He should just let it go. Besides, she was practically a stranger. So what if they weren't going to be friends? They could just remain neighbors and never talk to each other.

A part of him really didn't want that, but he pushed it away. He'd have to be okay with that.

The high school was decently busy when he pulled up. After stopping for a moment, he spotted his friends pushing their bikes into the bike rack in front of the school.

Mike pedaled forward. "Hey, Mike's here!" Dustin exclaimed as Mike pulled up next to them. There was a mix of "hey"s and "hey, man"s from his group of friends.

"Hey, guys," Mike replied as he pushed his bike into the bike rack. The group started to head towards the front doors of the school.

"Man, I can't believe summer is over already," Dustin complained, "We didn't go to the arcade and the quarry nearly enough times."

Max scoffed. "Yeah, well, I didn't even get to tan."

"Max, you don't even tan, you burn," Mike but in.

Max shoved Mike's shoulder. "Shut up, Wheeler. Like you could talk. You were a freaking tomato half the time."

"Hey!" Mike exclaimed, even though he knew it was true. it had taken him weeks to get rid of his burn he'd acquired after a day spent at the quarry in the sun.

"Stop fighting with my girlfriend, man," Lucas scolded, putting his arm around Max's shoulders. Max stuck her tongue out at Mike, and Mike rolled his eyes.

Dustin suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Whoa, who's that?" The rest of The Party looked to where Dustin's gaze was lingering.

"I don't know, I've never seen her before," Will chimed in.

"She's a damn goddess," Max said.

But Mike only faintly heard the conversation, because the person his friends were talking about was none other than El Hopper.

And his breath felt like it had been stolen.

She was talking to someone through the window of a sheriff's car. Her brown curls were half pulled up with a scrunchie. She was wearing a light yellow t-shirt and a jean skirt, white high-top Converse on her feet.

Then she turned around and...

Mike just about died.

She had a gleaming smile on her face as she turned away from the car, which pulled away from the curb. She brushed a stray curl away from her face as she started to walk towards the school.

 _Sunshine_.

She stopped suddenly and looked up at the looming building before her. Mike saw a bit of fear creep over her face, but she replaced it with a smile and kept walking. Mike wanted to run up to her and help take that fear away, but it seemed as if his feet were stuck to the ground.

The eyes of The Party followed her until she disappeared into the building. "I wonder who she is," Max said, "I've never seen her around."

"Maybe she's new here," Will said, "She looked kinda scared."

"Yeah, she's new," Mike piped up. His friends all turned to him with surprised expressions. Mike felt a slight blush creep onto his cheeks. Why did his big mouth have to say that? Now he'd have to explain.

"How do you know that?" Lucas asked curiously. They all watched him expectantly, so he had no other choice than to explain.

"She's, uh...you know how the house next to mine went for sale?" They all nodded. "Well, she moved in over the weekend. She's my new neighbor."

"Really?" Will asked.

Mike nodded. "Yeah."

"Were you ever going to tell us a cute girl moved in next door to you?" Dustin asked, "because I mean, look at her. Any guy would have a crush on her."

"Looks like Mikey here already does," Max said, a smirk on her face and one eyebrow raised, "Wheeler, your cheeks are red but you can't blame it on sunburn."

Mike blushed harder. "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you guys! Who says I have to have a crush on a pretty girl?"

"No one said so, Mike. You just make it blatantly obvious you do," Max replied.

"Leave him alone, Max," Will said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Mike sent Will a smile of thanks, which Will returned.

"Well, have you met her yet? Or talked to her?" Dustin asked as they all started walking to the entrance of the school. Mike debated on telling them, but they'd probably just keep annoying him about it.

"We talked a little bit because my mom made me bring over some cookies," Mike said.

"Is she single?" Dustin asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Mike started to feel a little bit of jealousy creep up his spine. "I don't know. I didn't ask."

"Dustin, what tells you she'd want to date someone like  _you_?" Lucas commented.

Dustin shrugged. "Girls can't resist these pearls." Dustin bared his teeth and let out a weird growl that made all them jump.

"Don't ever do that again," Max said. Max reached over and grabbed Lucas' hand. "C'mon, babe. Let's go to our lockers." Lucas smiled and let Max pull him along.

"I'm gonna head to mine, too," Will said.

"'Kay. See you in Bio," Mike said, giving Will a smile.

Will nodded, smiling back. "Yeah, see you." He turned around and pushed open the door of the school. That just left Mike and Dustin.

"Mike, by the way." Mike turned towards him. "I was just joking around. I won't take her from you, because it's pretty obvious you have a gigantic crush on her."

Mike's cheeks flamed this time. "Ugh, Dustin!" But he couldn't say anything more, because his friend lunged at the door and ran inside. Mike rolled his eyes, willing his blush to go away before he headed inside.

* * *

 

Nervous was an understatement for what El was feeling as she sat in the front seat of the cruiser next to Hopper, on their way to Hawkins High School. 

El fidgeted with her fingers as she looked out the window at the passing trees and buildings. Her backpack, filled with fresh notebooks and pencils, was between her legs, sat on the floor. Her outfit was perfectly put together and her hair was as nice as she could get it.

"Nervous?" Hopper spoke. El looked away from the window, glancing at her father next to her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know anybody, and it's this huge, new place. I have to find my locker and try not to get lost while trying to get to my classes." Her wide eyes met her dad's for a moment. "I'm just scared."

Hopper reached over and squeezed El's knee. "You'll be fine, kid. Just be yourself, make some new friends, don't let the assholes get to you, because there are always assholes. Just do your best."

That brought a tiny smile to El's face. The fear was still settled in the bottom of her stomach, but her dad's words brought her a little bit of comfort.

And, the thought she had been trying to push away came to the forefront of her mind: would she see Mike?

She knew she probably would. She knew he went to school, so he probably went to Hawkins High. Where else would he go? 

That thought of seeing him again made her more scared. After running off the day before, she wasn't sure how she was going to handle seeing him again. She felt so bad after doing that to him. He didn't deserve it.

She had a reason: she didn't want to spill her guts to a stranger. But she still felt so bad, and she knew ditching him really wasn't the answer to her problems. 

She'd chastised herself for what she had done a million times since the day before. And she would continue to.

But seeing Mike again was also an exciting prospect. She liked talking to him, and she liked seeing his face (was that weird?). She wouldn't mind having to look at him again.

Would she have classes with him? Would she push away the events from the day before and try again? Would he  _let her_ try again? Probably not. He probably didn't want anything to do with her.

So yeah, El was a huge ball of anxious energy, and it only got worse when Hopper pulled the car to a stop by the curb next to the school. El took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to gather herself and gain the courage to leave the car. 

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her left to see Hopper smiling at her reassuringly.

"You got this, kid. Go get 'em." He squeezed her shoulder.

"Thanks, dad." El pecked his cheek and opened the car door. She grabbed her backpack from the floor and slipped out.

"And hey, El?" She stopped, hand still on the door.

"Yeah?"

"No making out with boys in supply closest on the first day, alright?" Her dad grinned.

El grinned back, blushing slightly. "Dad! I can assure you, that will  _not_ be happening." 

"I'll keep you to that," he said, wagging a finger. El shakes her head with a giggle.

"Bye, Dad."

"Bye, Ellie," he replied. She closed the door, a grin still on her face as she turned towards the building before her. She brushed a pesky curl away from her face as she started walking, avoiding running teens as her white Chucks squished against the wet grass.

She stopped in her tracks, fear coming back again as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings, but she thought about her dad's words and the smile was back on her face. She started trekking on.

It was busy inside. Girls were in clumps, whispering, and chattering. Jocks were making jokes and pointing at girls. People were rummaging through their lockers and having conversations with their friends.

It didn't seem like a horrible place, so she felt a bit calmer. She glanced down at the piece of paper she'd pulled out of her backpack that had her locker number and code scribbled on it.

She found it pretty quickly. She started to walk over to it, but she startled when someone was suddenly pushed against it, followed by another person, and they were hard-core making out with each other. And they were kind of on her locker.

El blinked, slightly stunned. She felt awkward breaking them up, as they seemed so very passionate about their kissing, but it had to be done, so she walked forward and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me?" El said. The boy took his lips off the girl's and turned towards El. His brown eyes traveled up and down her body, and El squirmed.

"We're kind of busy here," he said rather rudely.

The girl smacked his shoulder. "Lucas! Be nice. The girl, who had bright red hair, gleaming blue eyes, and scattered freckles, pushed away from the locker, smiling at El. 

"What do you need?" she asked El, a gleam in her ocean eyes. 

"Uh, sorry for interrupting you guys. Just...you were kind of making out on my locker," El replied, gesturing to her locker; #353.

The girl glanced back at the locker, then back to El. "Oh, sorry. I thought we were against mine." She grabbed the boys shoulders and moved them over to the locker next to El's. "You can get in now! Just ignore us," the girl said.

"Uh, okay..." El replied hesitantly. She walked forward to her locker. She reached for the lock and was about to put in the combination when she heard the girl speak again.

"I'm Max Mayfield, by the way," the girl said," and this is my boyfriend, Lucas Sinclair." Lucas gave her a smile.

"Hi. Sorry I snapped at you," he said.

El smiled. "It's fine. I'm Eleanor Hopper, but you can call me El," El said, "I'm new here, in case it wasn't obvious before."

"Yeah, we know," Max said with a smirk. El wrinkled her brows at the sly expression on the girl's face.

"Babe, let's go find a closet instead," Lucas suggested eagerly. El almost giggled.

"Okay, fine, Eager Beaver," Max replied, grabbing his hand with a heady look his way. "Bye, El!" El couldn't say anything before Lucas pulled Max away and they were gone. El smiled, shaking her head as she opened her locker.

She got her locker situated before she slung her backpack over her shoulder and closed the door of her locker with a slight  _slam_. She glanced down at her schedule, figuring out where she had to go first.

"English, okay," El muttered under her breath.

Luckily, the English classroom was pretty close to her locker, so it wasn't too hard to find it. She smiled happily at the sucess of her situation as she shoved her schedule into her backpack. She headed inside.

She stopped for a moment, getting a lay of the land. There were only a couple of other people at the desks in the room: a girl smacking her gum; a boy drawing in his notebook; another girl reading a magazine.

There was an empty desk in the middle of the classroom.  _Perfect_. El headed straight for it. She started to put her hand on it so she could take her backpack off her back and sit down, but she startled when another hand slapped the desk at the same time.

She looked up, ready to see who she had to cower away from, but her heart stopped instead as she took in the face in front of hers.

"Mike," she breathed.

"El," he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, there wasn't much Mileven :( I wanted to add some lead-up. The next chapter will be full of Mileven, though! But I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Until next time.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, I kind of really like it so far, wow. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments! I love feedback. I'm probably gonna continue this, so yay! Thanks for reading the first chapter. :)


End file.
